


Ocean

by Luxie



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Free! Eternal Summer, Haru is back from Australia, M/M, Stupid show about boys who swims, Swimming, it's the day before Nationals, there wasn't supposed to be all this angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 07:43:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2301905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxie/pseuds/Luxie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto doesn't want to lose. He doesn't want to lose nationals and he doesn't want to lose the person who means the most to him. Luckily Haru feels the same way - finally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ocean

“You're staring.” Gou whispers as she comes up behind him and he quickly looks away from the swimming shape of Haru, blushing.

“Sorry,” he mutters, but she smiles knowingly and shakes her head. Makoto isn't surprised that she's noticed. After all he _is_ always looking at Haru, but so what? Haru is mesmerising, especially in the water. Everyone would agree.

Both in and out of the water every muscle in Haru's body is in control. He never went through that awkward teenage phase, like Makoto did, where his limbs had been to long and his body too big and he had been too strong.

The only place Makoto felt good then, had been in the water, where his long limbs had helped him be faster and he didn't accidentally hurt anyone. That period had helped Makoto re-find his love for swimming.

But even now Makoto doesn't swim because he wants to. Like Haru he swims because he has to, but unlike Haru it's not the closeness of the water he craves – it's the closeness of Haru.

Haru, who is only comfortable in his own skin if said skin is submerged in a body of water. Haru who's as much at home in water as a dolphin is.

When they were kids they joined the swim club and each got a key chain. There were just one dolphin left and they both reached for it. With a smile, Makoto left the dolphin for Haru, because it was the only right thing to do. After all, Haru reached for the dolphin because he loves dolphins. Makoto reached for the dolphin because it reminded him of Haru. And he loves Haru.

“I just went over the times from today's practice.” Gou says. “Your relay time is better than ever.”

“What ever your brother did to Haru in Australia must have helped.” Makoto says, winching at the cold sting in his own voice. He doesn't want it there, it doesn't belong around Haru's name.

“Not just Haru-chan.” She says, tilting her head. “Your time is much better too.”

“This is the last time we'll get to swim together.” Makoto says, trying to smile despite the pain. “We all want to give it our best.”

“I don't think this will be the last time you swim together. Nagisa will never let that happen.” She returns his smile. “And you'd face an ocean to be at Haru's side.”

“I'm going to Tokyo.” Makoto says and the shock on Gou's face is almost enough to shatter the last string of courage he has left. “I'm leaving.”

“Makoto?” her hands comes up to cover her mouth and there are tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

“To be honest I'd rather face the ocean.” He can barely get the words out without his voice breaking, but instead of turning on his heals and leaving he ducks back into the water and swims until his body stops shaking.

When he finally slides off his cap and goggles there's a hand reaching for him to help him out of the water and if his heart wasn't already pumping at full speed after his swim it would have sped up seeing Haru offering him a hand.

“You'll ruin your form.” He scolds, but his voice is so soft and Makoto can't help smiling in return.

Haru has never pulled him from the water before. Usually Haru is the one pulling him into the water, either metaphorically or literally, like the water spirits in the fishermen's tales. The ones who pulled sailors into the ocean and drowned them. The funny thing is that the one time Haru pulls Makoto out of the water is the time Makoto feels like Haru is drowning him. Maybe Haru is a water spirit?

No, Haru isn't like the Ocean at all. There is no storm in Haru. Haru is rain. Quiet, beautiful and necessary.

”Rain can be destructive too.” Nagisa had said once and Makoto can't remember how the subject had come up. ”It causes mudslides and floads.”

Makoto had blinked several times before he had smiled, slightly blushing, and said, ”True.”

They were young teens then, Makoto remembers, and when he was alone in his room at night he had come to realize just how destructive Haru was, how just the thought of Haru could take Makoto apart.

That wasn't something he had shared with Nagisa, though. Even _if_ it had been something he had been willing to admit Nagisa had been far too young and far too innocent at that point.

In a way that hasn't changed.

Where Haru is Rain Nagisa is Sunshine. Warm and bright and full of joy.

Makoto's always been very satisfied being the deep, calm forest. After all a forest needs Sunshine and Rain to survive.

Rin has always been wildfire, the opposite of Haru, and maybe that had been their point of attraction, especially when they were kids. Rin was exciting and fast-paced and alluring and if anyone could get Haru's blood to rise it was Rin.

Makoto could never compete, but he's never wanted to. Haru is smart enough to know that Rain and Fire cannot live side by side.

“I think he'd follow you to Tokyo.” Nagisa says, bumping his shoulder against Makoto's arm as the two of them are waiting outside for Haru and Rei to finish up. “I didn't know Haru-chan didn't have a dream, but I think that even without one he just assumed you'd always be there.”

“Are you trying to make me feel worse, Nagisa?”

“No, what I mean is, when Haru-chan realized that he was going to lose you – I think that's the first time he ever felt what it means to want something.” Nagisa tilts his head and blinks his large eyes, always so observant.

 _One day you're going see things you won't like, Nagisa._ Makoto thinks. Or maybe everything Nagisa looks at becomes light and beautiful, filled with Sunshine. Maybe that's why Rei loves him so much. Because Nagisa's world is beautiful.

“Gou showed me our relay times from today.” Makoto says,  when they are back at the hotel, alone in the room they share.  “All of them were better than any of the times we've set before.”

“Let's hope it's enough to win tomorrow.” Haru says and strips off his shirt. 

“I thought you didn't care about winning?”

“I didn't. I don't.” Haru says, turning to face Makoto. “I care about the team, I want us all to have this last moment together where we prove that we're the best team there is.”

“Haru.”

“I only ever wanted to swim. I didn't think I'd ever want anything else.” For once Haru's calm face is full of fleeting emotions, fear, doubt, indecisiveness. Then, slowly, he takes two small steps towards Makoto, eyes lowered to the ground.

“But you do now?” Matoto asks, forcing himself to stand still and wait for Haru to come to him and suddenly the two feet of space between them becomes the distance between Iwatobi and Tokyo.

“I do now.” Haru agrees, closing the last distance and raising his eyes to meet Makoto's for a second before he closes them and presses his lips to Makoto's.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted at my Tumblr, flyingassassin.


End file.
